1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved connector for flexible printed circuits (FPC) assembled, for example, into a small-size word processor.
2. Prior Art
For small sized word processors, subsidiary circuit boards of a flexible nature are used to connect a printer head to a main substrate. For such a connection, as shown in FIG. 6, it has been conventional practice to cap a connector body 2 having a lot of terminals 1 arranged side by side in a row with a housing 3, to hold an end of a flexible substrate 7 passed through the above mentioned housing 3 between a movable contact point 5 of the terminal positioned in a cavity 4 of the connector body and a side tongue 6 of the housing thrusting into the above mentioned cavity, and to connect a lead 8 of the terminal 1 to a female connector, for example, at the side of the printer head. In other words, the end of the flexible substrate is fixed to the connector being held between the movable contact point 5 and the tongue 6.
While the printer head moves in a longitudinal or vertical direction for printing, tension is applied to the flexible substrate 7, which functions to pull the flexible substrate 7 from the connector. Accordingly, there is no problem if the connector has a large number of terminals (number of pins) and the flexible substrate is held firmly thereby. On the other hand, if the number of terminals is less and the holding power is low, the flexible substrate is pulled out easily leading to trouble. To avoid the trouble, it has been contrived, for example, to catch the end of the flexible substrate by a notch provided on the terminal. By this method, however, the flexible substrate is torn off and broken should an excessive tensile force beyond the range of ordinary assumption be applied for to any reason.
When such an excessive tensile force is applied, it is rather preferable that the flexible substrate is pulled out without being broken.